Books to movies

Guest Author - Casey Manes

Books to movies

It seems that nowadays, every book eventually becomes a movie. Reading a book and then taking in the movie alone or with friends is a great way to conclude a book club. A quality movie closely fashioned after the book can also offer the closure some people crave after a delicious read comes to an end.

Of course, there’s always the occasional movie that turns varies greatly from the book. Or even times when the movie outshines the book, but for the most part, it's fun to end a good read with the motion picture version of the story.

One perk to reading the book first is that you have the inside track on what the author is thinking, feeling and how they are processing what is taking place within the plot. You get to truly know the characters, where much of this is missed by merely watching the film. Reading a book often connects different layers to the plot and makes it all much more interesting because you truly know what's going on!

Here are a few books to movies I have enjoyed. The names of the books below are the same title of the video. What I liked about each of them was that the movie stayed true to the actual story line of the book and to the characters. And it all played out very close to how I imagined it in my head.

So make yourself some snacks, savor your book and then pop some popcorn for movie time!

Happy reading and viewing!

Chick lit

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
Brace yourselves, this one is not for prudes! It is racy, hilarious, sometimes crude but refreshingly fun. A great fix for an emotionally draining month or week.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
A series of four books on four friends who share a pair of pants across the miles as they endure the challenges and trials of growing up. The pants always seem to bring hope whenever they arrive - in the nick of time. A heartwarming tale for any age.

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
A group of friends find answers to their messy relational issues through the wisdom and humor they find in Jane Austen's six classics.

Romance/Christian Inspiration
Love Comes Softly by Jeanette Oak
The sweet, simple love story of pioneers amidst the challenges of life in the 1800s.

The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
A tale of redemption and authentic love deep in the Appalachian mountains during the late 1800s. A long-held community secret finally is challenged, though it takes heartbreak, adventure and a few lives to bring about honesty and renewal.

Classics
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
A smile-inducing tale of love and humor based around the character of Ann Shirley. This fictional tale is about the stubborn, imaginative red-haired orphan taken in by an aging brother and sister on Prince Edward Island, Canada. A tale that will melt your heart.

Emma by Jane Austen
Snooty, wealthy Emma is busy playing matchmaker for her friends, which only leads to satire, and confusion. Eventually, the independent woman who thought she didn't need love is caught up in a romance of her own.

Drama
Then she Found Me by Elinor Lipman
A story about adoption, the search for answers and how sometimes the things we long for the most don't fill us up like we hoped.

Nonfiction
Gorillas in the Mist: The story of Diane Fossey by Diane Fossey
The story of a passionate protector of mountain gorillas in Africa, her life, her intriguing stories and the events that led to her dramatic, unexpected death.